He noticed her right away.

She was standing by the school soda machine — wearing a light skirt, sneakers, and that look, like the whole world owed her an explanation. Everyone else was chasing attention, and she… she acted like she didn’t care if anyone noticed her at all. Her eyes were on the sky.

And that made her interesting. Way too interesting.

Alex showed up at the school the next day. Yeah, on purpose. He even wiped down his bike until it gleamed — something he normally couldn’t care less about. When she walked out, he pretended he was just riding by. She glanced at him, just for one second. No more.

And he already knew — he was hooked.

The next day, he was there again. By the third day, he offered her a ride. She laughed and said, — “I don’t ride with guys who think a motorcycle is a personality.”

It was so bold, Alex fell even harder.

He started playing by her rules. Brought mixtapes with her favorite songs, even though he was a hard rock guy himself. Left her gum with little fortunes tucked inside. Waited by the library, even though silence made his skin crawl.

She… she made him different. And he liked it. Especially when she got mad — there was something real about her. Something none of the others had.

He learned she liked cherry milkshakes. That she always mixed up song titles. That her laugh was the kind of sound worth riding a hundred miles for.

And one day, she just climbed on his bike without a word. Wrapped her arms around his waist. Whispered in his ear:

— “Don’t go fast. I want this to last longer.”

So Alex rode slow. For the first time in his life.